In DE 39 09 754 A, a harvesting device for introducing stalk fodder is described, for which four rotating cutting disks are arranged laterally one next to the other. The cut crops are received at their rear side by a cross auger. The cutting disks rotate, each in the same sense, on the two sides of the longitudinal center plane, wherein the crops are conveyed first outwards and then rearwards. WO 02/062128 A shows a machine with the same general configuration.
DE 199 53 521 A shows a cutting and conveying device for stalk crops, which has four cutting and conveying rotors arranged laterally one next to the other. The rotational sense of the cutting and conveying rotors is such that the crops are conveyed first inwards and then rearwards. At the rear side of the cutting and conveying rotors there is a cross auger, which conveys the harvested crops from the outer cutting and conveying rotors to the center of the machine, where they are conveyed rearwards into the field chopper through the center region of the cross auger together with the crops running in from the inner cutting and conveying rotors.
In EP 0 760 200 A, a machine for harvesting crops having stalks is disclosed, for which several intake and mowing drums are distributed over the working width. The crops are transported inwards to the rear side of the intake and mowing drums along the rear wall. On the two sides of the longitudinal center plane, the intake and mowing drums rotate in the same sense with the exception of the outer intake and mowing drums, so that the crops are conveyed first outwards and then rearwards. This rotational direction enables the use of cross auger drums in the wedge-shaped region of adjacent intake and mowing drums. The material is fed from the intake and mowing drums arranged farther to the outside through the cross auger drums to the inner intake and mowing drums. They feed this material, together with the crops harvested by the inner intake and mowing drums, to the diagonal conveyor drums, which convey the gathered crop material upwards and rearwards into the intake channel of the field chopper.
The intake and mowing drums of EP 1 008 291 A rotate with the same rotational sense as those of EP 0 760 200 A. The cross conveyance, however, behind the intake and mowing drums is created by a separate cross conveyor, which is separate from the intake and mowing drums.
In FIGS. 10 and 11 of GB 2 012 154 A, a corn harvesting machine is shown, for which two receiving drums are arranged on opposite sides of the longitudinal center plane. The outer receiving drums rotate outwards, while the inner receiving drums rotate inwards. At the rear side, the harvested crops are conveyed through a belt conveyor or a worm conveyor inwards to the center of the machine and then deflected rearwards into the intake channel of a chopper.
DE 102 22 310 A discloses a machine for harvesting corn, for which the inner intake and mowing drums turn inwards. They feed the crops to deflection conveyor units in the form of diagonal conveyor drums, which convey the crops upwards and rearwards into the intake channel of the harvesting machine. The crops from the outer intake and mowing drums rotating outwards are fed to the diagonal conveyor drums behind the last intake and mowing drums by a separate cross conveyor, because conveyance through the rear sides of the inner intake and mowing drums against the selected rotational direction is not possible. The cross conveyor can be located in front of or behind the cross conveyor channel.
The machine disclosed in EP 0 760 200 A, wherein the cross conveyor drums interact with the intake and mowing drums, has the advantage of a short construction, so that the field chopper carrying them must absorb only a relatively small torque. The machine proposed in DE 102 22 310 A also has a short construction. However, a few mowing drums for these machines rotate in the opposite sense, so that infeed problems occur in the infeed region between these mowing drums. The machines according to DE 39 09 754 A, DE 199 53 521 A, WO 02/062128 A, EP 1 008 291 A, and GB 2 012 154 A are significantly longer in the direction of motion due to the cross conveyor acting independently of the intake and mowing drums in the form of worm or band conveyors and place more stress on the field chopper. The construction according to EP 0 508 189 A is only suitable in a restrictive way for working widths like those achieved with the previously mentioned machines.
The invention is based on the problem of designing a compact crop harvester header for harvesting crops having stalks, for which the disadvantages mentioned above are present not at all or only to a small degree.